Greetings Friends, Director s Message Exciting improvements for local animals. Summer fun, learning at the SPCA

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1 The Bakersfield SPCA is proud to be serving Kern County as a no kill shelter since BAKERSFIELD SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS SUMMER 2017 FREE Director s Message Exciting improvements for local animals Greetings Friends, It has been a long while since we released our newsletter, but rest assured we are committed to getting it all back on track. Time flies quickly it seems, and with each passing day new and exciting things have been happening for the animals in our temporary care. Just consider these statistics for a moment: in 2016 at The Bakersfield SPCA 1,384 new animals came into the shelter, with 1,307 animals finding forever homes and 49 animals finding their way back to their owners. In 2016 at the City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center 8,934 new animals came into the shelter, with 4,510 animals finding forever homes and 552 animals finding their way back to their owners. As a loyal supporter of the Bakersfield SPCA, you have a direct impact through rescuing, adopting, fostering and donating. Bakersfield is an incredible giving community and it is evident every day through this critical support. If you or someone you know would like to join a committee of ours to enhance the well-being of our animals, please let us know! The current committees are Education, Facilities and Fundraising! If you have a passion in any of these areas, we are always looking for members of our community to join our group. Finally, thank you for all you do for our animals we hope you enjoy this edition of our Critter Chronicle. Peace, Love and Blessings, Julie Johnson, Bakersfield SPCA Executive Director Summer fun, learning at the SPCA What could be better than for your animal loving child to spend a week making new friends here at the SPCA? Kids & Critters Day Camp provides youth ages 8 to 12 with a special opportunity to learn responsible pet ownership, promote the human-animal bond and learn about social responsibility. Children adopt one of our animals for the week, as we teach them about disease control, vaccinations, spaying/neutering, micro-chipping, grooming, care and feeding, and basic training. Children learn about animal-related careers, breed identification and disaster planning for pets. Children work on animal related and seasonal projects, such as making cat toys, dog quilts, healthy animal treats, picture frames with photographs of their adopted pet, and other crafts to take home and/or help our shelter animals reduce their stress. Field Trip to CALM and visit from Roaming Reptiles included. Register today! Call , ext. 2 or stop by our office at 3000 Gibson St., Bakersfield Choose a one-week session: Week of July 10 Week of July17 Week of July 24 Week of July 31 Only $210 per week

2 RANGER Since December 2016 CROWLEY Since July 2016 RALPH Since December 2016 The power of books, volunteers Book Sale 2017 was another banner year for our largest annual fundraiser. We generated more than $40,000 in sales to help support the work of the SPCA in taking care of lost, stray and abandoned dogs and cats. Many volunteer hours are logged in year round for the sorting, packing and storing of books that come in daily to the SPCA for our once-a-year sale. The massive setup involves loading, moving and hauling about 8 tons of books that are unpacked and displayed on tables in a very short time frame. Volunteers are the backbone of this yearly event helping with the setup, manning the store for 31 days straight of retail customer service and a quick shut down and clean up. People look forward to this event and are always asking when it starts and why we can t be open longer or even year round. Dealers come from all over the state of California and as far away as Nevada and Arizona for our opening night where shoppers get first chance at all the books trying to find the diamond in the haystack. (Be an opening-night shopper at the next Book Sale: Mark your calendars for April 27, 2018.) We often thought with the proliferation of electronic reading devices, our days would be numbered for continuing this event, but our customers remain loyal. Even those who have these devices prefer a book in hand when at home and to use the new technology when traveling. A lot of hard and heavy work is required, but our volunteers work feverishly to keep this Book Sale going. We will see you again next year! Food Truck Wars featured at Unleash Your Love event The first ever Food Truck Wars was held during our Annual Unleash Your Love Drive on May 3 with KGET-17/Telemundo. Pita Paradise, Fuego s Tacos and Curbside Kitchen were happy to jump on board and help our animals at the SPCA. Pita Paradise raised the most money and took home the coveted Top Dog Award! $10,000 was raised in total for the SPCA! We can t wait for next year! WOOF! 2 SUMMER 2017 BAKERSFIELD SPCA

3 ADOPT TODAY! The Adoption Center is open Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. FEES Dogs $100 Cats $60 Includes shots, ID microchipping and new leash! SCOTTY Since December 2016 I would love to be part of your family. Keep Pets Safe in the Heat How and where to cool animals down when temps soar The summer months can be uncomfortable even dangerous for pets and people. It s difficult enough simply to cope with rising temperatures, let alone thick humidity, but things really get tough in areas that are hit with the double blow of intense heat and storm-caused power outages, sometimes with tragic results. We can help you keep your pets safe and cool this summer. Follow our tips for helping everyone in your family stay healthy and comfortable when the heat is on (and even if the power isn t). Practice basic summer safety Never leave your pets in a parked car Not even for a minute. Not even with the car running and air conditioner on. On a warm day, temperatures inside a vehicle can rise rapidly to dangerous levels. On an 85-degree day, for example, the temperature inside a car with the windows opened slightly can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes. After 30 minutes, the temperature will reach 120 degrees. Your pet may suffer irreversible organ damage or die. Learn how to help a pet left inside a hot car by taking action or calling for help. Local law enforcement can follow this handy guide for how to proceed. Watch the humidity It s important to remember that it s not just the ambient temperature but also the humidity that can affect your pet, says Dr. Barry Kellogg, VMD, of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. Animals pant to evaporate moisture from their lungs, which takes heat away from their body. If the humidity is too high, they are unable to cool themselves, and their temperature will skyrocket to dangerous levels very quickly. Taking a dog s temperature will quickly tell you if there is a serious problem. Dogs temperatures should not be allowed to get over 104 degrees. If your dog s temperature does, follow the instructions below for treating heat stroke. Limit exercise on hot days Take care when exercising your pet. Adjust intensity and duration of exercise in accordance with the temperature. On very hot days, limit exercise to early morning or evening hours, and be especially careful with pets with white-colored ears, who are more susceptible to skin cancer, and short-nosed pets, who typically have difficulty breathing. Asphalt gets very hot and can burn your pet s paws, so walk your dog on the grass if possible. Always carry water with you to keep your dog from dehydrating. Don t rely on a fan Pets respond differently to heat than humans do. (Dogs, for instance, sweat primarily through their feet.) And fans don t cool off pets as effectively as they do people. 3 BAKERSFIELD SPCA SUMMER 2017

4 BOSS CRICKET Since February 2017 MARTY Provide ample shade and water Any time your pet is outside, make sure he or she has protection from heat and sun and plenty of fresh, cold water. In heat waves, add ice to water when possible. Tree shade and tarps are ideal because they don t obstruct air flow. A doghouse does not provide relief from heat in fact, it makes it worse. Cool your pet inside and out Whip up a batch of quick and easy DIY peanut butter popsicles for dogs. (You can use peanut butter or another favorite food.) And always provide water, whether your pets are inside or out with you. Keep your pet from overheating indoors or out with a cooling body wrap, vest, or mat (such as the Keep Cool Mat). Soak these products in cool water, and they ll stay cool (but usually dry) for up to three days. If your dog doesn t find baths stressful, see if she enjoys a cooling soak. Watch for signs of heatstroke Extreme temperatures can cause heatstroke. Some signs of heatstroke are heavy panting, glazed eyes, a rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, excessive thirst, lethargy, fever, dizziness, lack of coordination, profuse salivation, vomiting, a deep red or purple tongue, seizure, and unconsciousness. Animals are at particular risk for heat stroke if they are very old, very young, overweight, not conditioned to prolonged exercise, or have heart or respiratory disease. Some breeds of dogs like boxers, pugs, shih tzus, and other dogs and cats with short muzzles will have a much harder time breathing in extreme heat. How to treat a pet suffering from heatstroke Move your pet into the shade or an air-conditioned area. Apply ice packs or cold towels to her head, neck, and chest or run cool (not cold) water over her. Let her drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes. Take her directly to a veterinarian. Prepare for power outages Before a summer storm takes out the power in your home, create a disaster plan to keep your pets safe from heat stroke and other temperature-related trouble. Reprinted by permission of The Humane Society of the United States. Did you know that you can donate items to the Bakersfield SPCA at Amazon.com? Click on Wish List then enter Bakersfield SPCA in the Find someone s list box. 4 BAKERSFIELD SPCA SUMMER 2017

5 SPARKY OSCAR Since March 2017 BUGGSY New program offers control for feral cat population Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) is a growing movement to humanely control the community and feral cat population by trapping unowned neighborhood cats, having them altered (and often vaccinated), then returning the cat back to their neighborhood. The City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center has launched a TNR program with the help of a generous grant from Petsmart Charities. City of Bakersfield residents can make an appointment at Critters Without Litters for grant funded feral or community cat spays and neuters, free of charge. Mark your calendars and help us empty the City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center! NBC Universal Clear the Shelters Day with KGET-17/Telemundo August 19, a.m. to 4 p.m. City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center 201 S. Mt. Vernon Avenue Food Fun Discounted Adoption Fees Calendar of Events July 10 August 4, 2017 Kids & Critters Day Camps October 20 22, 2017 Fall Home & Garden Show November 4 & 5, 2017 Pawtiques & Treasures Yard Sale February 23, 2018 Furry Paws & Foggy Nights May 18, 2018 Unleash Your Love April 27 May 26, 2018 Book Sale Volunteers and sponsors are welcome and needed for our events and day to day operations. Paw tiques & Treasures Sale We are now accepting upscale Furniture and Home Goods for our annual sale at the SPCA. Large appliances must be no more than three years old. No clothing or books will be accepted for this sale. The Pawtiques & Treasures Sale will be held November 4 & 5 Please bring your donation to the SPCA at 3000 Gibson St. 5 BAKERSFIELD SPCA SUMMER 2017

6 NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID BAKERSFIELD, CA PERMIT NO. 287 ADOPTION CENTER 3000 GIBSON ST. BAKERSFIELD, CA (661) BAKERSFIELDSPCA.ORG Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it s the only thing that ever has. margaret mead MARK YOUR CALENDAR: November 4 & 5, 2017, Pawtiques & Treasures Sale and February 23, 2018, Furry Paws & Foggy Nights! Bakersfield SPCA Board of Directors President... Katy Christenson Past President...Rose Rakow, DVM Vice-President... Lynn Larson Secretary...Susan Greuter Treasurer...Melonie Shugart Thank You to our Wonderful Veterinarians Members-at-Large Claudia Burk Eric Kelley Denise Segrest John Szewczyk Laurie Weir Departmental Staff Julie Johnson...Executive Director (661) Extension 12 Tracy Castro... Office Manager (661) Extension 11 Chuck Nordstrom...Public Relations (661) Extension 10 Critter Chronicle is produced by the Bakersfield SPCA Graphic Design: Jessica Bloom Creative An affordable spay and neuter solution Critters Without Litters Low Cost Spay and Neuter Program 4300 Stine Road, #720 Bakersfield, CA (661) critterswithoutlitters.org